|
I was in your shoes 2 years ago, fortunately borrowed my neighbor's 2 round balers (he traded after first cutting, I got to use a middle aged & brand new machine) & learned how a good one works, and what to look for a bit. The best are belt balers, soft-core are ok but make looser bales that don't store as well outside & less hay per bale = more twine used, more space used. Chain balers are prone to wear, but work well for grass or stalks. Tend to knock leaves off of alfalfa tho not so good. In a belt baler, the hyd pressure systems work better than springs, but you can live with springs - looser bale. You want big wide belts at least on the outside edges. Skinny little belts like to wander all over & ripp & tear when they do. This happens when starting a bale & the edges aren't full of hay. Wide belts make life easier. Some of the old designs are called 'closed throat'. These are miserable to use. The middle & newer balers are 'open throat' and are much more forgiving. The newer a baler is, the easier it is to start a bale. Some of the old ones you need just the right moisture & stem length to get the bales started. I know nothing about Hesston, these are just general observations. --->Paul
| 
